Less bookings

[Ampurp85]

I was wondering if the fact that RCG will now keep your deposit (NRD) if you cancel, will affect how many bookings you make?

I was browsing the other sites and saw many people saying they will no longer book with RCG because of this. 

[smokeybandit]

Kind of funny people being mad that their non refundable deposit is non refundable 

[AshleyDillo]

Won't affect me. I don't typically book non-refundable.  If I did then the only reasons I would be canceling would fall under covered conditions of my travel insurance.

There has always been a $100 change fee with the NRDs anyways..so now it's just a bigger fee. I don't see what the big deal is. Takes the confusion out of calling it non-refundable when it was really only $100 non-refundable and the rest could be applied to a different cruise.

[WAAAYTOOO]

25 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

I was wondering if the fact that RCG will now keep your deposit (NRD) if you cancel, will affect how many bookings you make?

I was browsing the other sites and saw many people saying they will no longer book with RCG because of this. 

It certainly will affect my booking plans.  Since I really don't know if or when we will be able to cruise again, I will not be making any new bookings unless I can get one of the few suites that allow refundable deposits...and there aren't many.  For sure no more SC bookings until I know for sure that we will be able to sail.

[Peter D]

The announcement is perplexing, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out.  Keep in mind that many places have 'no refund' policies, but do give store credit.  it just means you cannot get the money back.  It would be interesting to know the reasoning behind the change.  Maybe it is related to the fact that they dropped expiration on FCC and want to limit them going forward.

I would like to see royal Caribbean, go back to showing the refundable pricing option on their website.  I hope with this change they do so. (though I doubt they will).

[Swar]

My plans won't change. I get basically unlimited casino cruises. I can cancel up to the actual morning of the cruise and I get back all tax and gratuity money paid. Which is all I pay anyway. I know this can't go on forever either, but I'll enjoy it while I can.

[FionaMG]

It's always been non-refundable deposits on this side of the pond, at least in both the UK and Portugal, which are the two countries I have experience with. That's why we tend only to book trips that we genuinely intend to go on and also why we pretty much always buy travel insurance that will generally cover us and get us our deposit back if we do have to cancel.

[BB1]

Unfortunately, you run risks whatever you decide. You risk losing the non- refundable portion of your deposit on one hand. On the other hand, you run the risk of fares going up. The earlier you book  usually means the best fares. The problem is compounded right now because inflation is at a 40 year high which means that fares can rise substantially. 

[Done]

2 hours ago, Peter D said:

The announcement is perplexing, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out.  Keep in mind that many places have 'no refund' policies, but do give store credit.  it just means you cannot get the money back.  It would be interesting to know the reasoning behind the change.  Maybe it is related to the fact that they dropped expiration on FCC and want to limit them going forward.

I would like to see royal Caribbean, go back to showing the refundable pricing option on their website.  I hope with this change they do so. (though I doubt they will).

I did a mock booking and was offered a refundable fare option.  I was booking a Junior Suite.  I have read refundable fares are not an option for Grand Suites or above.

[IzzyB]

2 hours ago, Peter D said:

The announcement is perplexing, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out.  Keep in mind that many places have 'no refund' policies, but do give store credit.  it just means you cannot get the money back.  It would be interesting to know the reasoning behind the change.  Maybe it is related to the fact that they dropped expiration on FCC and want to limit them going forward.

I would like to see royal Caribbean, go back to showing the refundable pricing option on their website.  I hope with this change they do so. (though I doubt they will).

If I had to guess too many people are cancelling later that are not vaccinated or don't like other policies like testing  This is taking cabins away from others who may have booked them if they were available earlier.  So this is probably discouraging people from booking and then cancelling.  Once protocols are changed they know those people will then book so not like it is preventing them from getting actual customers who will actually sale.

[Baked Alaska]

I hope this signals more Suite Class refundable deposits. We cruise suites only and I would definitely prefer a refundable deposit fare.

[Baked Alaska]

21 minutes ago, Toby said:

I did a mock booking and was offered a refundable fare option.  I was booking a Junior Suite.  I have read refundable fares are not an option for Grand Suites or above.

Which ship did you see this on?

 

[WAAAYTOOO]

3 hours ago, Baked Alaska said:

I hope this signals more Suite Class refundable deposits. We cruise suites only and I would definitely prefer a refundable deposit fare.

Unfortunately, I wouldn’t count on it.

[Ampurp85]

It won't bother me as I don't book anything I won't sail, or it starts off refundable. But I saw a lot of post about people "never sailing RCG again" and it made me wonder what the big deal was. 

[twangster]

19 hours ago, Baked Alaska said:

Which ship did you see this on?

 

Junior Suites have long had a refundable option.  Full Suites have not, with some minor exceptions such as the UP on Oasis and VP on Voyager class have occasionally come up refundable.  

[twangster]

8 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

It won't bother me as I don't book anything I won't sail, or it starts off refundable. But I saw a lot of post about people "never sailing RCG again" and it made me wonder what the big deal was. 

I often wonder how many "I'll never sail with..." people actually follow through with it.

When I used to fly a lot I'd often hear people berating gate agents in airports during delay events and their tirade usually ended with "I'll never fly this...".  I wondered the same thing then. 

I think some people say the words but don't actually walk the walk.  

[EmersonNZ]

12 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

I think some people say the words but don't actually walk the walk.  

Kinda like the people who say "if 'x' wins an election I'm leaving the country". While I know at least a few that have (Literally a workmate left the US for NZ aafter an election) I imainge it is abou t 1 in 100,000 that say it actually follow through.

[HeWhoWaits]

8 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

It won't bother me as I don't book anything I won't sail, or it starts off refundable. But I saw a lot of post about people "never sailing RCG again" and it made me wonder what the big deal was. 

Hopefully they'll follow through. The same people who will complain about NRDs becoming truly non-refundable are the same people who will complain that their beef carpaccio is "too rare" or will occupy pool chairs with their "stuff" at 6:00 a.m. when they don't intend to use those chairs until after lunch (if at all).

[LovetoCruise87]

45 minutes ago, twangster said:

I often wonder how many "I'll never sail with..." people actually follow through with it.

When I used to fly a lot I'd often hear people berating gate agents in airports during delay events and their tirade usually ended with "I'll never fly this...".  I wondered the same thing then. 

I think some people say the words but don't actually walk the walk.  

I agree with you. I'm sure the percentage is very, very low of the people who actually follow through on that statement. 

[Done]

31 minutes ago, LovetoCruise87 said:

I agree with you. I'm sure the percentage is very, very low of the people who actually follow through on that statement. 

I call it keyboard bravery.  Many comments made on these boards would never be made if the conversation was held face to face

[Moby Dick]

On 6/5/2022 at 8:09 AM, smokeybandit said:

Kind of funny people being mad that their non refundable deposit is non refundable 

 "I know you think you understand what you thought I said but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant”

[LovetoCruise87]

14 minutes ago, Toby said:

I call it keyboard bravery.  Many comments made on these boards would never be made if the conversation was held face to face

Very true. Same as people coming on here and making a complaint about Royal and never commenting on any of the comments that come after. 

[Moby Dick]

8 minutes ago, LovetoCruise87 said:

Very true. Same as people coming on here and making a complaint about Royal and never commenting on any of the comments that come after. 

The hit and runners!  I call them the C.C. Malcontents!

[ellcee]

I don't see it changing anything for me. I only book with intent and when I'm concerned I book refundable. 

[Pima1988]

I book our cruise and at the exact same moment I book travel insurance.  My feeling is if you can pay thousands for a cruise ( airfare or parking at the port, Voom UDP, DBP and excursions plus casino $$ if you gamble) the cost of travel insurance is a drop in the bucket.

[Vancity Cruiser]

I regularly have several cruises a year booked out 2 years in advanced. I have never not gone a cruise I have booked unless it was cancelled.

[Moby Dick]

Refundable vs non-refundable, insurance vs no insurance:  I always purchase the travel insurance that the TA offers or that Royal offers.  However, I don't purchase it until my final payment is due (90 days out).  The insurance, once you buy it, is not refundable, as I understand it.  So, if I need to cancel prior to the final payment date for whatever reason, I don't get the insurance back but the cruise fair is fully refundable prior to the final payment date, deposit excluded, of course.  I have purchased a fully refundable fare before and canceled it, I got everything back, including the deposit.  But, that particular booking was iffy to begin with, so I went with spending a little extra so I could get everything back, if necessary, and it was.

I heard about the annual travel insurance that can be purchased separate from the TA/Cruise industry and though that it was a great deal.  So, I looked into it.  The thing that turned me away from it was there are maximums, if you use it.  In other words, if I purchased the insurance today and I had a trip scheduled next week and something went wrong, and the amount of maximum $$$ was reimbursed to me for that one insured event, that was it for the rest of the policy term/year.  

Now, I fully understand that I may misunderstand some of this.  But, I'm sure someone or many someone's will correct me or clarify.  

[FireFishII]

I don't care because when I book, I plan on going.  I purchase travel insurance just in case I can't.

[KJones]

27 minutes ago, Nimrod said:

The insurance, once you buy it, is not refundable, as I understand it. 

Depending on the company / policy, some insurers sometimes will let you transfer the policy to a different/ similar trip if you cancel the original trip before a certain period.

[Moby Dick]

53 minutes ago, KJones said:

Depending on the company / policy, some insurers sometimes will let you transfer the policy to a different/ similar trip if you cancel the original trip before a certain period.

I wouldn't argue that.  I'm sure there are some that will.  But, you still don't or won't get your cash back.  

[Jill]

I’ve seen these comments too. Stupid. It’s their old policy pre-Covid. Don’t book NRD. Simple as that. (Unless you’re booking suites)